This invention relates to non-woven textiles, and particularly to tubing essentially consisting of helically wound turns of a non-woven fibrous web, to a method of producing such tubing, and to an apparatus for performing the method.
Sleeves of felt and similar non-woven textile material find many applications in industry, such as surface layers on rollers in processing equipment and the like. The range of fibrous materials capable of being converted into felts having the necessary mechanical strength is quite narrow because smooth fibers do not engage each other with sufficient friction to provide a felt made therefrom with adequate cohesive strength. The fibers which are converted to felts by fulling or other conventional methods must contain a sizable percentage of wool for adequate strength of the tubing to be prepared therefrom. Wool, however, is sensitive to acid and particularly to alkali, and quickly deteriorates when used with these and many other chemicals.
An object of the invention is the provision of nonwoven textile tubing whose mechanical strength does not depend on a specific configuration of the fibers employed, and is thus capable of being prepared from synthetic fibers of all types, including monofilaments, and from inorganic fibers which may have completely smooth surfaces.
Concomitant objects of the invention are a method of producing such non-woven tubing, and apparatus for performing the method.